Monday, January 25, 2010
Summitview Haiti Relief Fund
As mentioned on Sunday, we will be taking a freewill offering this coming Sunday, January 31st to do what we can to help the people of Haiti. If you would like to make an offering, you can do so then or if you would like to make a contribution online you may do so here. All collected funds will go to Samaritan's Purse.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Feb 19th & 20th Men's Conference
Click here to download the brochure and registration for for the Men's Conference coming up.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A Savior
So glad that this prophecy in our Think It Through reading (Zechariah 9:9-17) was fulfilled over 2000 years ago in the person of Jesus Christ. We have been given a wonderful Savior and I am grateful.
Teaching Moments
In light of the recent Haiti catastrophe, there will undoubtedly be questions and opportunities to talk with our kids and others about our response to what has happened. Ultimately, we can either respond in fear or in faith - and of course God wants us to respond in faith.
I thought I would pass along the following thoughts from "National Center for Biblical Parenting" when it comes to how we respond to tragedy and what our response should be. I have also added in a couple of comments in italics.
Dealing With Fear After Tragedy
Day to day life provides opportunities to teach children about God. It's the job of parents to frame the picture of world events, to help children understand life from God's point of view. Teachable moments become available in times of crisis. That doesn't mean that you preach or lecture. It means that you ask questions and carefully share information that can guide your children to right thinking.
So what do you say? How do you respond to their questions? How can you draw your children into productive discussions? What kinds of things can you do that will help your kids during this time?
Here are some things to consider when helping children deal with fear and questions about world events:
• Be careful about lying to your children (I would say this stronger - never lie to your children - lying is a sin and is never acceptable - period) by saying, "It's all okay." Your children can see that things aren't okay. In fact, this kind of statement can be counterproductive and cause children to feel like they can't trust you, further increasing feelings of insecurity.
• Explain that the world isn't out of control and help put these events into perspective. Pray with your kids about those directly involved in the tragedy. (This is huge because this is a way that we as parents can mode trust and faith to them.)
• God is with us always. We can trust him. His angels protect us. God loves us and cares for us and he is in charge (Psalm 46).
• Answer your child's questions. Explain the details briefly in clear terms and then focus on the good that we see in God and in the people who are helping.
• The solution for fear is to learn to trust. Trust is the ability to release control to another. Children can learn to trust when they take small steps of risk and have positive experiences over a period of time. Gently encourage children to take small risks of separation and then provide the comfort they need. During that process children need a lot of parental love, patience, encouragement, and support. Remember, it's God's presence that helps us through difficult times.
I thought I would pass along the following thoughts from "National Center for Biblical Parenting" when it comes to how we respond to tragedy and what our response should be. I have also added in a couple of comments in italics.
Dealing With Fear After Tragedy
Day to day life provides opportunities to teach children about God. It's the job of parents to frame the picture of world events, to help children understand life from God's point of view. Teachable moments become available in times of crisis. That doesn't mean that you preach or lecture. It means that you ask questions and carefully share information that can guide your children to right thinking.
So what do you say? How do you respond to their questions? How can you draw your children into productive discussions? What kinds of things can you do that will help your kids during this time?
Here are some things to consider when helping children deal with fear and questions about world events:
• Be careful about lying to your children (I would say this stronger - never lie to your children - lying is a sin and is never acceptable - period) by saying, "It's all okay." Your children can see that things aren't okay. In fact, this kind of statement can be counterproductive and cause children to feel like they can't trust you, further increasing feelings of insecurity.
• Explain that the world isn't out of control and help put these events into perspective. Pray with your kids about those directly involved in the tragedy. (This is huge because this is a way that we as parents can mode trust and faith to them.)
• God is with us always. We can trust him. His angels protect us. God loves us and cares for us and he is in charge (Psalm 46).
• Answer your child's questions. Explain the details briefly in clear terms and then focus on the good that we see in God and in the people who are helping.
• The solution for fear is to learn to trust. Trust is the ability to release control to another. Children can learn to trust when they take small steps of risk and have positive experiences over a period of time. Gently encourage children to take small risks of separation and then provide the comfort they need. During that process children need a lot of parental love, patience, encouragement, and support. Remember, it's God's presence that helps us through difficult times.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Outreach Diagram Class
Get ready for the Outreach Diagram class starting on January 31st. There will be 13 sessions (see schedule below). As you are thinking and praying about if this would be something that God has for you, I would encourage you to listen to Bill Young's Faithwalkers teaching entitled Life Changing Love. You can find it at http://www.gccweb.org/conferences/faithwalkers/west/2009_teachings. God so wants us to share what He has done for everyone through His Son Jesus Christ and He will use us to do it. Are you thoroughly equipped? I know I need to be better equipped.
Schedule: (all sessions from 3:30-5:00pm)
Sunday, January 31st
Saturday, February 6th
Saturday, February 13th
Sunday, February 21st
Sunday, February 28th
Sunday, March 7th
Sunday, March 14th
Sunday, March 21st
Sunday, March 28th
Sunday, April 4th (Easter) - no class
Sunday, April 11th
Sunday, April 18th
Sunday, April 25th
Sunday, May 2
Sign Up Online
Schedule: (all sessions from 3:30-5:00pm)
Sunday, January 31st
Saturday, February 6th
Saturday, February 13th
Sunday, February 21st
Sunday, February 28th
Sunday, March 7th
Sunday, March 14th
Sunday, March 21st
Sunday, March 28th
Sunday, April 4th (Easter) - no class
Sunday, April 11th
Sunday, April 18th
Sunday, April 25th
Sunday, May 2
Sign Up Online
Everyone Who Calls
Joel 2:32
And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
So thankful for this promise from God's Word that we found in the Think It Through reading for today from Joel 2:28-32. God is so faithful and good - so much so that He doesn't want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He proved that is true by sending His one and only Son to us (John 3:16).
And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls.
So thankful for this promise from God's Word that we found in the Think It Through reading for today from Joel 2:28-32. God is so faithful and good - so much so that He doesn't want anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9). He proved that is true by sending His one and only Son to us (John 3:16).
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Those Who Have No Hope
A simple thought from our Think It Through reading for today:1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. The phase "who have no hope" caught my attention this morning. There are many in this world that have to hope. That is just a fact. What God put on my heart this morning as I read that was will I care enough about those that have no hope - will I love them enough - will I have a great enough passion for them to share with them the hope of Jesus Christ?
As I have been thinking about what I would like to see God do in and through my life this year, I have decided that I would consistently and fervently pray for the following in 2010 related to this:
Thanks to Faithwalkers for stirring some of these in my soul and heart. These are just a few of my prayers that I am trusting God for in 2010. What are you trusting God for this year? We pray about what we are trusting God for; we don't pray about those things that we are trusting in ourselves for.
As I have been thinking about what I would like to see God do in and through my life this year, I have decided that I would consistently and fervently pray for the following in 2010 related to this:
- To love others more
- A greater compassion for those without Christ (those who have no hope)
- Opportunities to be a witness for Christ - opportunities that I cannot get out of
- Opportunities to invite people to church
- Courage to speak truth in love
- Make my heart more like Jesus - a shepherd's heart
- Passion for obedience
- Passion for the Word
- Passion for good
- Passion for prayer
- Opportunities to give Bibles away
- God would stir me up and encourage me and give me a greater passion to share His truth with others
Thanks to Faithwalkers for stirring some of these in my soul and heart. These are just a few of my prayers that I am trusting God for in 2010. What are you trusting God for this year? We pray about what we are trusting God for; we don't pray about those things that we are trusting in ourselves for.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Our Witness for Christ and Moral Hypocrisy
As I read an article this morning about a research study (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/12/091229105906.htm) dealing with the relationship between power and moral hypocrisy, I was reminded that what we do and how we behave deeply matters, and if we claim to be a Christian, then it matters just not for our own life but more importantly it matters because our behavior reflects on Jesus Christ and all of His people.
As I read the article, I was reminded of Jesus, words to the religious leaders of His day who had a lot of power and who claimed to be moral and just:
Matthew 23:25-28 (NIV)
25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.
28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
I was also reminded of what Mark Darling said at Faithwalkers. He said something like: 'He never wants to be famous because he couldn't handle it. Human beings were not made for fame. Jesus was and is the only person who can handle fame.' (not an exact quote)
Our efforts should seek to make Jesus Christ more famous. God wants us to be clean on the inside and for our behavior to be a reflection of Christ. I'm praying that God will prevent fame and power in my life and that through my life Christ will become more famous.
As I read the article, I was reminded of Jesus, words to the religious leaders of His day who had a lot of power and who claimed to be moral and just:
Matthew 23:25-28 (NIV)
25 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean.
27 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean.
28 In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
I was also reminded of what Mark Darling said at Faithwalkers. He said something like: 'He never wants to be famous because he couldn't handle it. Human beings were not made for fame. Jesus was and is the only person who can handle fame.' (not an exact quote)
Our efforts should seek to make Jesus Christ more famous. God wants us to be clean on the inside and for our behavior to be a reflection of Christ. I'm praying that God will prevent fame and power in my life and that through my life Christ will become more famous.
Daniel 9
A few random thoughts as I was reading through Daniel 9 from the Think It Through for this week:
1) Daniel was reminded by God as he read the words that God had given to Jeremiah. Daniel was reading his "Bible" and God spoke to Him and Daniel acted. Think about that for a moment. Daniel was reading the book of Jeremiah - the same words that we can read today in our Bible. Very cool! Not only was Daniel faithful to read God's Word, he then did something with it.
2) Daniel recognized the sinful ways of his people and cried out to God and God answered. We can do the same.
3) 70 Weeks. Different people have different views as to what the "70 weeks" mean. Below is a graphic that illustrates 4 of these views: (click on the image for a larger view)
1) Daniel was reminded by God as he read the words that God had given to Jeremiah. Daniel was reading his "Bible" and God spoke to Him and Daniel acted. Think about that for a moment. Daniel was reading the book of Jeremiah - the same words that we can read today in our Bible. Very cool! Not only was Daniel faithful to read God's Word, he then did something with it.
2) Daniel recognized the sinful ways of his people and cried out to God and God answered. We can do the same.
3) 70 Weeks. Different people have different views as to what the "70 weeks" mean. Below is a graphic that illustrates 4 of these views: (click on the image for a larger view)
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Faithwalkers Music
Once again, there was some excellent music at Faithwalkers 2009. In case you are interested, some of the original music can be purchased at http://www.aswetremble.com/shop
Steele's music can be found at: http://www.steelecroswhite.com/store.php
Steele's music can be found at: http://www.steelecroswhite.com/store.php
Faithwalkers Teachings Online
All of the teachings for Faithwalkers 2009 have been posted. You can download them from http://www.gccweb.org/conferences/faithwalkers/west/2009_teachings. There were 9 main session teachings - all of which were excellent.
As I have been reviewing my notes, I have been extracting some things I need to pray for in 2010 and some things I need to do. One of my things to do in the next few weeks is to re-listen to each main session teaching and review my notes again. I would encourage everyone to make a point to download these teachings and to actively listen to them and take some notes.
As I have been reviewing my notes, I have been extracting some things I need to pray for in 2010 and some things I need to do. One of my things to do in the next few weeks is to re-listen to each main session teaching and review my notes again. I would encourage everyone to make a point to download these teachings and to actively listen to them and take some notes.
Think It Through - January 3
Download the Think It Through for January 3, 2010 (Apocolypsis: Revelation 1:1-3)
Friday, January 1, 2010
2010
For the Christian, the goal of this new year 2010 is the same as every other year. Our ultimate goal simply doesn't change - to be conformed more to the likeness of Jesus Christ. And so it is good to step back and ask a few questions:
May God richly bless your life in this new year.
- How am I doing at becoming more like Christ?
- Am I allowing God to transform and change my life?
- What areas of my life do I need to fully surrender to Jesus Christ?
- How am I contributing to the body of Christ?
- What prayers do I need to pray?
- What do I need to give?
- Do I truly want to see the lost get found by Christ?
- Do I truly love my brothers and sisters in Christ?
- Is my relationship with God the most important relationship in my life?
- Does my life actually reflect Christ?
May God richly bless your life in this new year.
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